Most motor vehicles are equipped with restraint systems including a retractable safety belt system. Typically, the safety belt system is attached directly to the vehicle structure, such as a floor pan and/or B-pillar of the vehicle. It is also known to mount a safety belt system directly to a seat assembly. In such an arrangement, the structure of the seat assembly must be of sufficient strength to accommodate potentially significant loads that may be generated as a result of impact, severe braking, or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,577, for example, shows a vehicle seat having a safety belt system mounted thereto, and includes a seatback pivotally connected to a lower seat structure by a pivot assembly. The pivot assembly includes a housing and a pivot arm pivotally attached to the housing. The housing includes inner and outer plate members, and the inner plate has a downwardly extending lower edge that is attached directly to a mounting flange of the outer plate member. The lower edge and the mounting flange are also jointly attached to the lower seat structure.